Monsters: The Untold Stories of Legends
by Scarlett Michealson
Summary: She's been alive for a long, long time. Her life has been lived. Her family and husband have died and it would appear her story is over...until he comes in. His mysterious character holds secrets which intrigue her. As she meets him she realizes just how powerful he is...despite who she is, and she's terrified. He holds a power like no other...he is dangerous...he is...a monster...


Monsters

the Untold stories

of legends

Scarlett Michealson

I had lived a long and complicated life. It was not easy, and not always enjoyable, but it had been good. Now, I spent my days reflecting upon it. My friends and family had long since passed away, and now so had my husband. I was alone in the world, but not unhappy.

There was a secret I held which few people knew. I was unafraid of anything. Even death itself did not scare me. I spent my days wondering the wilderness, like a lost spirit, waiting for something to happen, to take me.

I had lived for over a thousand years. I was a werewolf. I was, actually, the most powerful werewolf which had ever lived. My husband had held the title before I did, but had given it to me with his incredibly deep bite. We had lived together, raising a family, and then adventuring across the world. I had loved him all my life. I always would. His death was slow and steady, but came from nature. Now I held his legend, and did not let it die.

Being as powerful as I was, nothing scared me. I walked completely free of bond and obstruction. I walked like that for a very, long time. But even that, had an end...

I had been walking among the trees, through this green wonderland and wilderness for almost ten years. It was late spring. Everything was green and beautiful. At night the crickets chirped, and by day the sun grew warmer. I walked aimlessly among the trees, looking for shapes and shadows, but nothing appeared. I walked alone.

And then one afternoon, I stumbled upon something odd. It was a black stallion, as wild as I was, grazing in a meadow. I stood at a distance, watching him eat grass. He looked up, seemingly right into my eyes, and then down again, back to his grass.

I thought I had the animal in my sights. Thought I would be able to hunt it quietly and have something decent to eat for a couple days. But as suddenly as I burst forward with incredible, inhuman speed, another person appeared faster, shoving me against another tree. The horse was startled and disappeared into the forest.

He was tall and strong. His eyes were a crisp, clear, blue. His dark hair and ragged looks said he was pretty wild too. He wore thick, black, animal hide or leather. His scent told me he was human, but it wasn't possible...not with those abilities.

"Who the heck are you?!" I growled at him. I was mildly peeved that he had ruined my chances with that horse.

"Your worst nightmare." He growled right back. I laughed, relaxing.

"Yeah, okay. You clearly don't know me." I smiled, brushing him off and I started to walk away.

"Whatever you say, Redetta Autumn Johnson." He called after me. I froze, mid-stride and almost tripped over myself. I had not gone by that name in several hundred years. My heart stopped as I looked over my shoulder at the complete stranger.

"Who are you?" I asked, suddenly aware of my rising heart beat. Was this fear?

"I'm another kind of monster. Something you would be wise to take seriously." He replied. I lifted an eyebrow. He had been around a long time. I could tell.

"What do you want with me?" I asked. He chuckled, stepping forward.

"We are both wonderers. I thought maybe you would like to wonder together." He smiled, almost wickedly. Something deep inside me stirred.

"Well that depends." I started.

"On?" He asked.

"If you plan on using your monstrous abilities against me." I grinned back. He chuckled.

"I'm not your typical monster, Red." He replied. "It doesn't work like that. Not exactly." He replied. I held a hand up.

"What is your name?" I asked him. He looked at the ground and then back into my eyes.

"Jonathan Resplandor." He replied. I lifted an eyebrow, stepping forward.

"Jonathan...Blaze?" I paused as his face began to change. "As in, Johnny Blaze? The daredevil and...legend?" I asked, putting things together. He took a step back.

"How did you know?" He asked. I laughed loudly.

"I've been around for a while. I've had time to learn a few languages fluently...including Spanish." I smiled. He shook his head.

"No...about the rest. Do you know the legend?" He asked. I thought for a moment.

"I've heard about your motorcycle stunts, and the legend...All I know is that you have something to do with the one they call, The Ghost Rider." I replied. His dark chuckle sent a chill down my spine. I hadn't experience that in a very long time either.

"I _am_ the Ghost Rider." He growled, and his entire body blew up in flames. I jumped back as the fire blazed and then grew quiet. My heart was beating rapidly as he stepped forward and we looked at each other. For a moment he just stood there, looking at me. His whole demeanor was threatening, and even being the most powerful werewolf didn't stop me from being terrified. Finally his flames flickered away until he went up in smoke and stood before me again, human.

"Okay, so that happened." I started, still trying to wrap my head around what I had just seen. "Don't you eat souls or something crazy like that?" I asked. He nodded.

"I eat the souls of the evil, the wicked." He replied, walking past me and sitting down on a fallen tree. I slowly came over and sat down next to him.

"Um...so what about me?" I asked, looking at him. He gave me a funny look.

"What about you?" He asked. I looked down at the ground.

"I've killed...people...before." I breathed, closing my eyes. He sat back, his face white.

"You have?" He asked in disbelief. I nodded.

"Do you...regret it?" He asked. I nodded.

"I'm constantly haunted by their faces." I breathed. He nodded and I saw him relax.

"It's good that you regret it." He whispered. I looked over at him, confused.

"It means you are still good. You have a good heart, a good spirit. It means the Rider is less likely to come after you." He explained. I nodded.

"So, should I fear you?" I asked him. He laughed.

"Maybe a little. I think you should consider us...equals." He replied. I nodded. That made sense.

"So what do you want from me?" I asked. He sighed, taking a deep breath.

"It's like I said before. I know we both just wonder around this Earth, so I want to know if you want to wonder it together." He started. I shrugged. It didn't sound so bad. "There's a catch though." He continued. I picked my head up and looked at him.

"Obvious question: What's the catch?" I asked. He smiled, but hesitated.

"I want...I want to ride on your back...to ride you." He breathed. I was up in a heartbeat and grabbing him, I threw him against a tree. He hit the ground with a loud thud, and a small, weak, groan. I grew so angry that I felt my skin start to crawl and then it transformed into fur. I closed my eyes and leaned forward. I felt myself grow taller, bigger, stronger...

And then he heard my deep, threatening, growl. My eyes shot open, and they were blazing yellow. I dug my claws deep into the ground, my teeth inches from his face as he leaned up on his elbow and opened his eyes, groaning.

"Holy sh**!" He shrieked, and he jumped back, hitting his back against the base of a tree. He cursed again and sat up as I took a step towards him. I growled again.

"Okay, look, I'm sorry!" He cried, his hands up. "Seriously! Please! Just let me explain! I don't want to hurt you, and you probably don't want to hurt me, so let's just talk this out! Please!" He begged. I let my growl subside and I took a step back.

"You have some serious guts, asking a wolf if you can ride them! Don't you know anything?!" I asked the idiot. He sat up and leaned back against the tree, sighing.

"Yes, I know what I'm asking. Trust me. You're not the first wolf to freak out on me like that. I kind of expected it. But please, let me explain." He said adjusting how he sat. I could tell I had hurt him. I was mildly pleased.

"Look, I know it's important. You only ever do that with one person, someone special, whom you trust. I get it. We just met. If you want time, to get to know me, that's fine. I get it. I'll give you all the time you need." He explained. I stepped back and relaxed, retracting my claws from the dirt.

"Maybe." I growled. He nodded, slowly standing up and brushing himself off.

"Can I show you why I asked such a crazy question?" He asked. I gave him another evil stare.

"I'm not asking to ride, I'm just asking to sit on your back, to show you, why I asked. You don't have to do anything. Just let me show you. Please. I want us to trust each other." He asked. I frowned, sighing. We were deep in my territory so no other wolf could walk by anyway. It wasn't like we would be seen. I nodded my head.

"Fine. Yes, you can _sit_ on my back." I growled. He smiled as I lowered myself to the ground. He looked me in the eyes for a moment, and then got on. I stood up and waited for something to happen. It took a moment...

I felt him fire up. His body was hot, but it did not burn me. I looked back and saw him sitting there. He nodded at me, and suddenly my paws grew hot, and then exploded in fire. I looked down, low-key freaking out, and then watched as the fire climbed up my legs and body until I was engulfed in flame. I could see my bones now and it was a weird sensation. I leaned back and howled, and flames came from my mouth as I did, dancing high into the air with the sound I made. It echoed far and wide.

When I calmed down again, he jumped off and walked up to me. Both of us were still on fire. He put his head down, and the fire extinguished and he became human again. As he went up in smoke, I felt myself cool off and the fire disappear. When I looked down, I was back to being a normal werewolf. Whatever that meant.

"You see, whatever I ride, becomes like me." He explained. I nodded. It was a strange feeling.

"So, why me?" I asked. He chuckled.

"Well all the other wolves I spoke to almost ate me alive, so you were up next." He started. I raised an eyebrow and resisted the urge to laugh. "And I want to roll with someone who is also powerful on their own, without me." He explained. I nodded.

When I had transformed back into my human self, I sat down on a boulder and thought about it.

"So what would happen? Every night we would go someone different, running around doing whatever?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, though one of the first things I want to do is get my soul back from the devil." He explained.

I thought about it for a long time. It was not an easy decision. I had been on my own for a long time, and he would be the first man I had really spent time around since my husband's passing.

"Okay, I'll do it. _But_ ," I started. "I want to get to know your first." I half growled. He nodded.

"Okay. We'll do it your way." He agreed.

I stood up and walked up to him, looking him in the eyes.

"I warn you." I growled. "I'm not tame." And my eyes flashed a _fiery_ red...


End file.
